1) Technical Field
This invention relates to a toolbox system especially adapted for use by workpersons employing pickup trucks and the like for performance of various trades and/or workings. The toolbox systems disclosed herein are designed to be housed in the bed portion of a typical pickup truck.
2) Description of Related Art
Pickup trucks have been attractive as work vehicles since their initial appearance in the marketplace. Many workpersons have found them especially convenient for assisting in caddying tools, implements, and the like for the various trades in which they are employed, including plumbers, painters, electricians, mechanics, etc. Tradespersons engaged in these and other professions have found it desirable to have tool boxes mounted in the truck bed area, behind the operator's cab. Generally, the tool boxes are intended to organize and restrain tools and other items that would otherwise be free to move about the truck's bed area.
The prior art provides a wide variety of toolboxes adaptable for use in the bed of a pickup truck. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,577 describes an open bottom crossover toolbox insert; U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,476 discloses a truck toolbox locking door plate; U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,987 describes a toolbox assembly for use in the bed of a pickup truck; U.S. Pat. No. D345,650 discloses an automotive toolbox; U.S. Pat. No. D374,654 sets forth a truck mounted toolbox; U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,158 teaches a pickup truck tailgate toolbox assembly; U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,069 sets forth a hideaway door for truck beds in which tools may be housed; U.S. Pat. No. 5,368,357 describes a utility truck body having option attachment components for attaching toolboxes or the like; U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,531 describes a portable tool caddying device which is readily maneuvered into the bed of a pickup truck; U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,959 describes a slide mount for pickup truck tool boxes; U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,737 describes an attachment for securing a toolbox to a pickup truck; U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,944 describes a truck tool box of unitary construction; U.S. Pat. No. 4,350,257 sets forth a kit for assembling a toolbox adapted for installation in the back of a pickup truck; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,684 sets forth a removable toolbox adapted for use in a pickup truck bed, to name but a few.
By far the most popular type of toolbox which is commonly seen located within the bed of a pickup truck is the crossover toll box. The crossover toolbox is so named because of its physical orientation with respect to the rectangular truck bed. The crossover toolbox is normally oriented across the bed of a pickup truck, from one side to the other. Frequently the crossover tool box is located directly behind the rear window of the operator's cab, and the toolbox normally has one or more lids transversely hinged with respect to the longitudinal length of the box. In the case of a single box lid, its length will extend across the truck bed and be hinged at one end adjacent to the side of the bed. In such configuration, the entire lid must be raised to access the tools inside the box. In the case where a plurality of lids are employed, for example, two lids, each is normally hinged in a back-to-back configuration, one to the other at the middle of the box. In this configuration, the lid has a length that is equal to one-half or less of the width of the truck bed, and permits the user to lift the lids independently from the sides of the truck.
It is a necessary requirement of truck mounted tool boxes in general to restrain work implements and other items from free motion caused by inertial forces normally present under conditions encountered by moving motor vehicles, while at the same time containing a provision for convenient access by the workpersons desiring to employ the tools at a given time. The toolbox must also, in general, have a reasonable capacity for holding tools, be durable, and possess a reasonable degree of eye appeal, i.e., they should be aesthetically pleasing.
One problem associated with truck tool boxes of the prior art is gaining access to a specific item within the tool box without having to remove other various and sundry items that may be either on top of the desired item or obscuring it from view. One attempt at resolving this problem is the provision of sliding drawers that are used to compartmentalize the interior of the toolbox, examples of solutions being disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,789,195 and 4,844,305. However, many pickup truck tool boxes of prior art are non-compartmentalized, and access to specific items contained therein may not easily be made without removal of various items in order to provide access to the desired item.
It is common for a pickup truck to be parked in the street, at the curb position while workpersons undertake a task at hand. For the workman desiring to extract a tool which is located in such a position to only be accessible to one standing along the side of the pickup truck which is near moving traffic, the worker must expose themselves to the dangers inherently present to being in close proximity with moving vehicles. Therefore, an additional problem associated with prior art toolboxes intended for mounting in the beds of pickup trucks is the lack of safety provisions for workpersons desirous of accessing the various implements contained in the toolbox from the street. This is especially true when the implement to be removed from the truck is large, bulky, or awkward, since the worker must in general lift the item to an elevated level, which in turn requires cautious leveraging if one is to maintain control over one's person, as well as balance. Compounding the hazard is the potential for injury to the spine from such required awkward leveraging.
Clearly then, a toolbox adaptable for use in the bed of a pickup truck which is capable of permitting rapid and convenient access to a large number of tools while minimizing safety hazards to its users is highly desirable. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a tool caddying device for use in the bed of a pickup truck which is capable of containing a large number of tools, which tools are easily accessible by a workman regardless of the position of the workman with respect to the pickup truck when the pickup truck is in a parked position. It is a further object of this invention to provide a frame adapted for use in the bed of a pickup truck which is capable of accepting a plurality of different toolbox modules which may be readily inserted into said frame and conveniently accessed by a workman at an appropriate time. These and other objects will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in this art after thoroughly reading and understanding this specification and the claims appended hereto.